Cauldron
The city of Cauldron is aptly named. The town’s buildings, tightly packed and built from volcanic rock and wood, line the inner bowl of a nameless, extinct volcano. Cobblestone roads form concentric circles around a small lake of cold water, which fills the basin of the volcano’s caldera. Although the town’s sewage seeps into the lake, local priests routinely purify the water for the citizens in exchange for charitable donations to their temples. A fifty-foot-tall fortified wall of black malachite encircles the city, tracing the outer rim of the volcano. Four roads descend the outer walls of the volcano, becoming major thoroughfares that lead to other distant towns. The districts nearer the rim of the city tend to be occupied by upper class families and merchants. The closer one gets to the centre of town (and the closer to the pungent odours of the central lake), the shoddier the construction and the more dangerous the dark alleys become. Most people get around Cauldron on foot, although the town has its share of wagons and carriages, mostly owned by merchants and nobles. History After the foundation of Sasserine, Surabar Spellmason – one of the greatest wizards of his age – set out south and inland to discover new riches. Accompanied by Kozomagon Lidu, one of the wealthiest of the new colonists, he established a town in the peaks of the Iron Mountains named Liduton. Liduton was initially successful, but incursions by native yuan-ti, scalykind and even demons eventually forced the abandonment of Liduton. After this, they founded the town of Redgorge, and the discovery of diamonds and other valuable minerals and metals in the Iron Mountains made it large and rich very quickly. Cauldron would eventually be founded in the 1320’s by Spellmason and Lidu as a bastion for local miners against attacks by demons and natives which had already destroyed the town of Liduton and which now threatened the town of Redgorge, where most of the mines were based. Over the centuries, the discovery of many large underground complexes and networks of caverns beneath Cauldron drew the attention of prospectors from far and wide. Jzadirune and the Malachite Fortress were founded near Cauldron during this time. Surabar himself would die in 1353 of natural causes and was then entombed (although nobody knows where). Cauldron would continue to prosper, with the nearby towns of Kingfisher Hollow and Hollowsky being founded in the opening years of the 15th century. All of this despite constant attempts by the native yuan-ti (anthropomorphic snakes) to destroy the humanoid colonies, raiding constantly from their fortress of Shatterhorn. Eventually, in 1596, Shatterhorn was laid low by the wrath of the yuan-ti god Merrshaulk, who was displeased by their failure. After this, the yuan-ti presence in the area dwindled to a mere shadow of its former glory, but rumours remain of lost cities full of magic and gold. In the year 1787, a great red dragon known as Hookface arrived in the area and began to prey on the locals. He was joined in 1790 by a mate, Taliraxia, and they preyed on merchant caravans and isolated settlement for nearly a century. Heroes were rallied to rid the area of the dragons, but they were unsuccessful. Eventually, the dragons – happy with the hoard they had amassed – retreated to isolation in their lair. However, they seem to get up to more than just eating and sleeping in that lair as, periodically, young red dragons have emerged from the mountains to terrorise the area before being slain or moving on to other regions. In 1887, a resurgence of yuan-ti activity caused the people of Cauldron to turn to the new Albaidan colonial governor in Sasserine for protection. The governor sent troops on the condition of Cauldron joining the Albaidan Empire. The desperate people of Cauldron accepted, and although the yuan-ti were beaten, they now had new masters, tax collectors and magistrates. In the year 1923, an unfortunate magical accident befell some gnome alchemists in Jzadirune. The details of this accident are unknown, but the town has remained uninhabited to this day and it was a deep embarrassment for the Albaidan government. In 1968, the rainiest weather in centuries resulted in massive flood damage to lower reaches of Cauldron. Inaction by the colonial authorities led to the Flood Festival being founded in 1969 by the allied churches of the city to prevent the flooding through magic. The flooding was controlled in future years, but after the Spring of 1976, it ceased. However, the festival remains celebrated until this day, and is quite subversive, as the people never forgot that the Albaidans would not help them in their time of need. Economy Cauldron’s major exports come from two sources: mines and plantations. Both industries are based in the hills surrounding the city, and are managed by the various noble families who live in the area – until recently under the tight stewardship of the Albaidan colonial government. Obsidian and diamonds are the primary products mined in the region, and the plantations usually produce sugarcane and coffee. Most resources travel up the Mocotan Highway or along the rivers to Sasserine, where they are loaded onto ships bound for ports across the Old World. Most of those who dwell in the city itself are either merchants, scholars or workers in the mines and plantations in the lowlands. Water is never scarce in town, but most of the city’s food must be imported from Sasserine since the local fishing and farming enterprises are meagre at best. Rulership Cauldron was – at least until very recently – a colony of the Kingdom of Albaida. However, the Lord Mayor Severan Navalant – to the surprise of many – sided with the revolution against Albaidan rule. He continues to govern as Lord Mayor. Religion All people in Cauldron have some respect for the gods, whether or not they regularly attend church services. As a city until recently under Albaidan rule, the worship of St. Cuthbert is the most widespread in the city. About the same size are the congregations of Pelor, Wee Jas and Kord. The temples work together and have cordial relations, cooperating to keep the citizens of the city safe from floods, demonic invasions and other ‘acts of the gods’. Category:Place Category:City Category:Settlement Category:Cauldron Category:New World Category:Argyria Category:Mocotan Region